After hanging up the phone, Chu Shichen bent his fingers and pressed his temples. The traffic light at the intersection was red, and he took advantage of the silence to say, "I have something else to do today."
Qian Hua: "Don't fool me, you have nothing to worry about."
Chu Shichen couldn't stand such vulgar words, so he frowned. Qian Hua came to Xiang Yue to block him off work, so he probably wouldn't be able to get away easily. He made the second best choice and said, "Let's make a deal first. I won't go to the nightclub."
"No way you—"
Chu Shichen added decisively: "I don't need any beauty."
Qian Hua opened his mouth wide, stunned by Chu Shichen's serious expression. He felt inexplicably frightened and all his hasty rebuttals were stuck in his throat.
That expression was really funny. Chu Shichen felt like he was scaring a fool and said, "I'll treat you to dinner."
Qian Hua laughed and started to brag again: "I'll treat you. I recently invested in a restaurant and it's in trial operation. I plan to tell you when it's officially open."
The Hummer changed its route halfway, and Qian Hua took Chu Shichen to a restaurant. It was located in a very prosperous area, and the restaurant was decorated in style and had a great atmosphere. The waiters were dressed in suits and bow ties, and each of them looked like a model.
The restaurant is currently closed to the public and there are no other customers tonight. They chose a good seat by the window. The commercial street downstairs is bustling with people, and the huge advertising screen has been changed to posters of the new season's ready-to-wear clothes.
Chu Shichen felt that the store sign looked familiar and looked down.
Qian Hua said, "I remember you don't like wearing this brand. They are holding a show at the end of the month and have booked a banquet venue here for a week. If you are interested, let's go to the show and join in the fun."
Chu Shichen had an impression and asked, "Is Bomanjia Apartment nearby?"
"Yes, it's just across the street. It's very difficult to get this location." Qian Hua said, "What's the matter, do you have a lover living in Bomanjia? The living conditions are good enough."
Chu Shichen's brows, which had just relaxed for three minutes, twisted again: "No."
Qian Hua asked with concern: "Who have you been with recently?"
Chu Shi deeply understood what it meant to say "You can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth." He had to talk about some serious topics to slow down the conversation, so he asked, "Why did you invest in a restaurant?"
Qian Hua suddenly lost his temper and stammered, unable to explain himself. After a long while, he chuckled and waved to the restaurant manager to urge him to serve the food quickly.
Chu Shichen felt strange in his heart, but did not ask any further questions. The dishes were served. The main course was a fragrant roasted beef with rich fat. Just looking at it made him feel 70% full.
While the red wine was being decanted, there was a commotion at the restaurant door.
The manager stopped him loudly: "Sir, the restaurant is temporarily closed to the public, you can't go in!"
A middle-aged man forced his way in. He was neatly dressed, but his expression revealed a trace of despair and despair. Several waiters were unable to hold him back.
The man ran to the table and was startled when he saw Chu Shichen: "Mr. Chu..."
Chu Shichen had never seen the other person before. Qian Hua put down his knife and fork and said, "Why are you here? What do you want to do?"
The man's surname was Qi, and he was the owner of a yacht company. Facing bankruptcy, he had nowhere else to turn. He waited near the restaurant for a week, and finally waited for Qian Hua to show up.
Boss Qi bent over and said, "Boss Qian, Mr. Qian, please give me another chance!"
The explosion in early spring ruined the yacht company's reputation, and almost all customers cancelled their cooperation. Qian Hua, who was originally an investor, also withdrew his investment.
He said in annoyance: "Forget it, there is no hope."
Boss Qi said: "Give me a little more time, Mr. Qian..."
"I have no shortage of time, nor do I lack that little money." Qian Hua said, "After such a big accident, who would dare to employ you? If it weren't for my good luck, I would have died young!"
Boss Qi turned around and begged Chu Shichen, saying, "Mr. Chu, we have been taking care of the yacht with all our heart and soul for so long, and we have always guaranteed that you will be satisfied. This time it was really an accident!"
Chu Shichen guessed what happened. He sat here unharmed, but the real "Chu Shichen" had already... He said expressionlessly, "Then bear the cost of the accident."
Boss Qi collapsed and said: "The cause of the accident may not be ours. We did not investigate it properly at the beginning..."
Qian Hua stood up angrily: "Nonsense, the yacht has been dealt with, so you can say whatever you want! The Chu family wants to keep things quiet because they don't want to make a big fuss. You can make a big fuss if you want to, let's see who can't stand it first!"
The restaurant called the police and Boss Qi was kicked out.
The police car downstairs was flashing red and blue lights. Chu Shichen lowered his eyes and looked for a while, with an unclear suspicion in his heart.
Naturally, he had no appetite to eat, and he wanted to end it there. He looked up and found Qian Hua secretly looking at him from across the table. When their eyes met, he avoided them guiltily.
Chu Shichen stared at the other person.
Qian Hua couldn't resist: "Alas, I am sorry for you."
Chu Shichen asked: "Why do you say that?"
Qian Hua confessed that he loved yachts, so he invested in this yacht company. In order to support his good friend, Chu Shichen took care of everything from buying the yacht to its daily maintenance.
After the accident, Qian Hua felt uneasy and decided to withdraw his investment and invest in a restaurant instead. He planned to use Chu Shichen's amnesia to hide the incident forever, but unexpectedly, Boss Qi suddenly appeared.
Qian Hua lamented, "The team responsible for yacht maintenance is absolutely top-notch, I can guarantee it. I don't understand why they stumbled. The key is that I checked the records later and there was no problem with the maintenance the day before."
Chu Shichen didn't know the details and asked, "Then how could there be a fire and explosion?"
"Who knows? It annoys me so much." Qian Hua wiped his face, "Shichen, luckily you are fine, otherwise I would have a miserable life."
Chu Shichen rolled his Adam's apple. The accident was originally handled by Li Zangqiu, who had hastily dealt with it in order to calm it down as quickly as possible. What if it was really as Boss Qi said, the cause of the accident might not be their fault...
The most taboo thing in everything is to look ahead and behind. Chu Shichen had already become suspicious, so he asked Qian Hua to check the detailed yacht records and information.
Tonight's gathering was full of ups and downs. No meat was eaten and no wine was drunk. Chu Shichen comforted Qian Hua and left the restaurant. He wanted to get some fresh air in the night breeze.
Turning the corner to another street, Chu Shichen passed by the Bomanjia Apartment Building. He stopped to look at the floor-to-ceiling windows of Room A on the 40th floor. It was pitch black, and the residents probably had not returned home yet.
He hailed a taxi and went home.
The next morning, Chu Shichen went out wearing a black suit and bought a bunch of blooming white chrysanthemums on the way.
In Yuansi Cemetery, there is a tombstone under the shade of trees. There are no words or photos on the tombstone. Chu Shichen squatted on one knee in front of the tomb and gently put down the bouquet.
He spoke to the tombstone, telling about the recent situation of Mrs. Chu and Chu Shihui, and Yisi's situation.
At home, Chu Shichen chose to conceal the matter, mainly because he was afraid that Mrs. Chu would worry.
Besides, the accident was handled by Li Zangqiu, and the Chu family's legal team, insurance brokers and accountants were at his disposal. Chu Shichen needed to confirm whether these people were reliable.
This matter cannot be rushed, and it is difficult to estimate how long it will take.
Chu Shichen appeared to be the same as usual, fully preparing for his business trip on Monday.
The weather was getting hotter, so Chu Shichen brought two thin suits. Nanjing was not far away, and it would take just one morning to get there by highway. It was also quite convenient to drive there and travel around Nanjing.
On Monday, the driver picked up Chu Shichen first, and then went to the apartment to pick up Xiang Mingzhang.
It was still early and driving was physically demanding, so Chu Shichen asked the driver to go eat something, and he went upstairs to help Xiang Mingzhang check the materials he needed to bring to the seminar.
After reaching the 40th floor, Chu Shichen stopped outside Room A. Xiang Mingzhang's contemptuous expression that day reappeared in his mind, and he pressed the doorbell with a little force.
Xiang Mingzhang had just finished washing up and opened the door. The fresh smell of aftershave hit him in the face. He was changing his clothes and was still wearing a home T-shirt on his upper body.
Neither of them said anything. One stepped aside, and the other went into the house, slamming the door shut.
The last time Chu Shichen came was in the evening. Today, it was less than eight o'clock and the sunlight illuminated most of the living room. He followed Xiang Mingzhang into the bedroom. The suitcase was packed and the briefcase was thrown at the end of the bed.
He went on to count the documents, and the file bag was moved away, revealing a box of plasters and a bottle of wine underneath.
Chu Shichen asked doubtfully: "Should I bring these?"
"Need not."
Xiang Mingzhang took off his T-shirt and exposed his upper body. His muscles were distinct and his skin was healthy, but there were several hard-to-ignore bruises on his shoulders. The bruises were even worse on both sides of his lower back, showing dark purple blood clots.
Chu Shichen asked in surprise: "How did you get hurt? Is it serious?"
"It's okay." Xiang Mingzhang said in a flat tone. He unscrewed the medicinal wine, poured a little, and rubbed his shoulders.
Chu Shichen packed his briefcase and saw that it was inconvenient for Xiang Mingzhang to move his hands backwards, so he unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them up in half, snatched the bottle and said, "Let me help you."
He walked around behind Xiang Mingzhang, poured some medicinal wine into his palm, rubbed it to warm it up, then raised his palm and pressed it on the skin behind Xiang Mingzhang's waist, slowly rubbing in circles.
In the old days, my father had bad joints at home, so the bonesetter often came to provide services. He saw a lot and learned a few tricks.
The blood clots needed to be rubbed hard, Chu Shichen used more force and said, "Bear with it."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "It doesn't hurt."
Chu Shichen was relieved and used 100% more strength. Xiang Mingzhang was caught off guard and was pushed forward half a step. He stood firm, turned his face back, and caught a glimpse of Chu Shichen's snorting and laughing in his peripheral vision.
Suddenly, Xiang Mingzhang asked: "What did you do with Qian Hua that night?"
Chu Shichen didn't expect Xiang Mingzhang to ask about it. After all, it was his personal matter. He paused for a moment and replied, "Eat."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Just eating?"
"What else?" Chu Shichen poured some more medicinal wine, "What do you think I will do?"
Xiang Mingzhang retorted: "I lack imagination and cannot describe your wonderful night life."
Chu Shichen continued to exert force, his palms felt numb, and he couldn't help but mutter, "You're no better, staying out so late and playing yourself into bruises."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Mingzhang suddenly turned around, and Chu Shichen didn't have time to retract his hand, and slapped Xiang Mingzhang on his abdominal muscles.
This time Xiang Mingzhang remained unmoved and asked, "How do you know I didn't go home?"
Chu Shichen said frankly: "The restaurant is on the next street. I passed by and saw that the lights were off."
Xiang Mingzhang believed the story of the meal, but he was not satisfied: "Qian Hua has a bad reputation, you should have less contact with him in the future."
After last night, Chu Shichen changed his mind and said, "He is my friend."
Xiang Mingzhang said: "You have to be selective when making friends."
Chu Shichen would not reveal the intricacies of his private affairs to others, nor did he like being controlled.
Everyone has their own city, so it’s best not to cross the line.
But this secretary job was not easy to come by, and he did not want to make the atmosphere awkward, so he did not refute, but cleverly said: "I know my limits, just look at how I choose my bosses."
Xiang Mingzhang was used to hearing sugar-coated bullets and had long been immune to them, but for some reason Chu Shichen's sweet words sounded particularly pleasant to his ears.
He kept a stern face, not wanting to admit that he was being pleased: "What's your sense of propriety? You're pressing me so hard that it hurts."
With medicinal liquor dripping from his palms, Chu Shichen used the back of his hand to gently push Xiang Mingzhang to turn around. He continued to rub him, slightly reducing the force, and asked, "How did it happen? Were you beaten?"
Xiang Mingzhang said: "Fighting, do you understand?"
Chu Shichen didn’t quite understand, but after listening to Xiang Mingzhang’s words for a few minutes, he figured out about 80% of it.
After applying the medicated wine, Chu Shichen went to the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came out, Xiang Mingzhang had put on his clothes.
The timing was just right and the driver came up to help with the luggage.
As they walked out, Chu Shichen warned, "Drive more steadily today, Mr. Xiang is injured."
The driver quickly asked: "How did you get hurt?"
Chu Shichen
It was the first time I heard it, so I don’t remember it clearly. What was it… Two people were fighting each other in close combat, mainly punching each other, it was quite intense, and the stronger ones even had to fight in the ring…
He thought for a moment and said, "It seems like he practiced Wing Chun."
(End of this chapter)